Hi Everyone,
I just wanted to share my success and my struggles with you. Since 1994 I have struggled with my weight. I watched the scale climb from 170 to 382 from 1994 to 2002. When I saw the scale could not read my weight anymore I was devistated. I began with small steps. I got a job at a weight loss center as a counselor and did their program. I began incorporating exercise to my daily routines. From 2002 to 2003 I got down from 382 pounds to 326. I still didn't feel great about it though. I still could not fit in cute clothes and really hated myself. My husband at that time left me for someone new. He told me on my birthday in October 2003 I was fat and ugly and not for him anymore. I began over eating again from depression and went back up to 382 pounds. In February 2004 I decided to stop binge eating and find other activities. I walked, jogged, danced, and sang alot. I began eating right again. The next thing I knew when I got on the scale a year later I had dropped over 100 pounds. I was about 258 then. I then set a goal not to go visit my family until the weight was gone. I worked harder and ate even better and began taking vitamins, minerals, and incorporating protein supplements. About less than a year later I was below 200 pounds. I had not see 170 since the year I graduated in 1994. In 2010 I had my beautiful daughter and the doctor said I did great at not gaining too much due to how I ate and my lifestyle. I only gained 15 pounds. I got down to 160 finally by 2012. In 2012 I began having more diabetic complications which had to use more insulin (I am type 1) so I gained due to bloating. I began drinking more water to help get the bloating to go away. In May of this year I was diagnosed with Epilepsy and as many may know Keppra and Dilantin can cause weight gain. I got up to 192 by July. I was miserable. I became depressed because I lost my job so I went back to binge eating. Today when I did my first weigh in I was 165.2. I am not ashamed to share this because look how far I have come. I am at a stand still now and have been this weight over the past 2 months. When my friend shared this opportunity with me to help motivate me I had to jump on the wagon. This sounds like so much fun and will keep me busy wanting to meet my goal. I love challenges and I love to see the scale drop.
Here are some advice I have for each of you. Do not weigh daily and weigh the same time of day when you do. I sometimes will go for more than a month without weighing and just see how my clothes are fitting me. Don't give up and keep moving. You can do this. If you want a great workout go to youtube and look up lauren fitzgerald's club fitz. I am so addicted and this is the exercising I do all the time now. As far as to how I eat. I do the food pyramid and I measure by looking at the serving sizes. For instance for my height and weight I need 2 proteins, 4 vegetables, 4 fruits, 3 starches (really 2, but I take insulin), 2 fats, and 2 dairies a day. I consume half my body weight in water. You do not want too little and you sure do not want alot either. my weight is 165.2 so I need 10 8 oz glasses of water a day to keep my body moving and not get dehydrated.
I hope this helps inspire you. I have a picture of me at my heaviest until now. My heaviest is the one on the very bottom 382 pounds, the one above is 326 pounds and the one that is the longest is me a few days ago.
Good luck everyone,
Renee